Combing-machine.



A. S. FULLER.

COMBING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1915.

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COMBING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1915.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

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A. S. FULLER.

COMBING MACHINE.a

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. 1915.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

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I A. S. FULLER.

COMBING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1915.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4 ARCHIBALD S. FULLER, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBING-MACHINE.

Application filed April 18, 1915.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD S. FULLER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful. Improvements in Combing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

V This invention relates to a combing machine of the character shown in Letters Patent of the United States to J. W. Nasmith 3Y0. 721L119, dated March 31, 1903, and consists in certain improvements upon and modification of said Nasmith patent. The machine as a whole, in its general purpose, construction and mode of operation, may be substantially similar to that shown in said h'asmith patent and in the machines heretofore manufactured thereunder, and will be readily understood by those skilled in the art without any detailed description of the general features of the machine. Reference is therefore made to the well known machines made in accordance with said Nasmith patent for a general description of said machine, and the present specification will be addressed particularly to the novel features which constitute the subject matter of the present invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention,Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of such parts of a combing machine embodying the invention as are necessary for an understanding of the invention; Figs. 2, 3 and l are similar views illustrating difierent positions of the nipper; 5 is an enlarged detail view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of the nipper and certain associated parts; Fig. 6 is a view, partly broken away and partly in section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4, showing a rear elevation of the nipper bridge or carriage; Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on line 66 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the machine on an enlarged scale, parts being broken away.

The nipper shaft 1 is a rock shaft, which is rocked to and fro by a crank (not shown). firms 2 are rigidly fixed to shaft 1 to swing therewith, and are connected to the nipper carrying arms 3, one of which is pivotally mounted at each side of each head of the machine on a stud 4- on the machine frame. The arms 3 are connected to and oscillated by rock shaft 1 and arms :2 through con- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Serial'No. 21,676.

nesting rods 5 and yokes 5, of which there are two, each pivotally connected at one end to one of the arms 2, and at the other end to a stud 6. Each stud G is secured to a bracket 7 which is fixed to arm 3. Rods 5 and yckes 5 are joined by adjusting nuts 8.

The nipper consists of the upper nipper jaw or nipper knife 9, and the lower nipper jaw or cushion plate 10. The upper nipper jaw 9 is fixed to a pair of lever arms 11 which are journaled to swing on studs 6. The rear ends of said arms 11 are connected by a cross bar or shaft 12, carrying a bowl 13, which contacts with cam surfaces hereafter described, governing the path of movement of the nipper jaws. A light tension spring let normally tends to urge the rear ends of said arms 11 upward, and consequently said aw 9 downward.

The lower nipper jaw is fixed to a bridge piece or support 16, which is journaled by knuckles 17 on stud 6. Said sup port 16 has a shelf eitending in an approximately horizontal or lateral plane, to which the jaw plate 10 is screwed or bolted, and a depending flange or web, provided with arms 18 to which tension springs 19 are attached at one end. Said springs are attached at the other end to arms 3 by suitable studs, and tend to urge the shelf or support 16 and the lower jaw plate 10 upward toward the upper aw plate 9. The upward movement of the jaw plate 10 is limited by the adjustable screws 20 which pass through suitable holes in the jaw plate 10, and are screwed into brackets 21 fixed to arms 3. When the top nipper jaw 9 is raised or opened the support 16 and nipper jaw 10 are pulled upward by springs 19 until stopped by the heads of screws 20. When the nipper closes, the lower jaw 10 is depressed by the top jaw 9, away from the heads of screws 19 urge the lower jaw 20, and the springs 10 upward with a yielding pressure against the top jaw 9. The space in which jaw 10 is allowed toplay between the heads of screws 20 and the brackets 21 is sufficient to allow for the required movement of the lower jaw under the control of the upper jaw in the manner hereinafter described, and also to allow for any required thickness of cotton held between the jaws.

During the movement of the nipper forward and backward by the rock shaft 1, the path of the movement is governed or controlled by the control of the top jaw by means engagement with cam 23 the lower jaw 10 V will hold the upper jaw 9 upward and the roller 13 downward in engagement with the control cam surface 22.

Heretofore in the well known combers of this type exemplified by said Nasmith 'Patout No. 72%,119 the lower nipper jaw has been fixed on the nipper carrying frame or arms 3, and has therefore governed the path of the nipper in its movement forward and baclnvard over the combing cylinder 26; and inasmuch as the nipper is thereby caused to move in the arc of a circle about the pivot 4c as a center, while the needles 27 of the comb mg cylinder 26 revolve 1n the arc of a much smaller circle centered at 28, the nipper aws are nearer the combing needles 27 when in a straight line passing through both centers 4 and 28, than in the parts of their paths at the front or rear of said straight line.

In the present invention the pathiof the nipper jaws and consequently the position of the nipper jaws relative to the combing needles at all points in the path of the nip per jaws, is governed not by the lower jaw in fixed position on the arms 3, but by the upper jaw which is movable on arms 3. The path of movement of the upper jaw, and consequently of the low-er jaw, during the oscillations of the arms 3, is controlled while the jaws are closed, by the cam or guide-way 22. The guide surface of cam 22 is so shaped that during the time'the nipper swings over the cylinder needles the distance between the lower edge of the nipper knife 9 and the points of the needles is maintained uniform, or is varied, as desired. The path of the nipper jaws is not limited as heretofore to the arc of a circle about 4: as a center. The path of the nipper jaws may be made to follow the arc of a circle concentric with the combing cylinder, in which case the nipper jaws will be at all points in their path the same distance from the needle points; or the path may be varied to secure any desired result. This is accomplished by making the guideway Or cam 22 of the desired shape. Good results will be obtained by making the cam 22 of such shape as to cause the lower edge of the nipper jaw 9 to follow the arc of a true circle close to and parallel to the points of the needles. It is recommended however that the cam 22 be so shaped as to bring the path of the nipper jaws a little nearer the needles the lap is held to the needles.

nipper jaws may diverge a little from the needles as the finer needles will penetrate more readily because the lap will have been partially combed out by the coarser needles.

It will be noticed that as the end of the upper jaw overlaps the end of the lower jaw, it is the extreme lower end or edge of the upper jaw which determines how close In former machines of this character where the lower jaw was in fixed position on arms 3, if a 'lap thicker than usual were used it would of the needles and introduced a variable condition dependent on the thickness of the lap belng treated. Inthe present invention the upper nipper jaw is positively controlled and follows the same path for which it is' springs 19, sufiicient downward movement of the jaw 10 being provided for to allow any required thickness of cotton to be held between the jaws, and to allow the lower jaw to follow the positively controlled path of.

the upper jaw 9 against which it is yieldingly urged by springs 19.

To explain one cycle of operations: Starting with the position shown in Fig. 4, the nipper jaws have just closed upona tuft of cotton and are moving rearwardly, or to the left as viewed in the drawings, and the leading and coarser rows of needles 27 on the combing cylinder 26, are just approaching and about to penetrate the tuft projecting from between the nipper jaws. It will be understood that the combing cylinder is rotating continuously in the direction of the arrow. As the foremost rows of needles pierce and comb through the tuft, the nipper continues to move backward, its path being governed by the shape of cam surface 22, until in Fig. 1, which represents the next position, somewhat more than half of the rows of needles have passed through the tuft, and the nipper is approaching its extreme rearward position.

il i Fig. 2, representing the next stage, shows the nipper at its extreme rearward position and about to start forward, with only a few rows of the finer needles remaining to pass through the tuft. From that position the nipper moves forward in the same direction as the combing cylinder but at a little slower speed, so that the last rows of the finer needles pass through the tuft comparatively slowly, thus preventing injury to the fibers. The path of the closed nipper is at all times controlled by cam surface 22 and is made to follow the path of the needles at such predetermined distance or distances as may be desired. When the needles pass clear of the tuft the roller 13 engages cam surface s3 and the upper nipper jaw starts to open. The opening nipper continues its forward movement and the tuft is seized by the detaching rollers 29, the action of which is essentially the same as described in said Nasmith patent.

Fig. 3 shows the nipper in its extreme forward position with the nipper jaws wide open, at which time the cylinder 26 will have turned so that the needles are in the position shown. Thereupon the nipper starts to move rearwardly, the roller 18 riding down cam 23, until the jaws are closed upon a fresh tuft of cotton which is fed forward in the usual way, and the needles have come around into operative position, as shown in Fig. 4:, and the cycle of operations is complete.

It will be understood that the machine is provided with an upper reciprocating comb (not shown) acting between the nipper and the detaching rolls, and with the other usual parts, all as fully described in said Nasmith patent.

l l ith the above described invention it is possible positively to control the path of the nipper jaws and their distance from the needles, by the positive control of the upper nipper j aw, and to maintain such path either at a uniform distance at all points from the needles or at definite and predetermined graduated. distances from the points of the needles, notwithstanding the nipper as a whole is swinging in a circle of larger radius than that of a circle centered at the axis of the combing cylinder. Such positive control of the top nipper jaw also preserves the fixed and predetermined distance between the lower edge of the top nipper jaw and the cylinder needles irrespective of the thickness of the cotton laps held by the jaws. By thus regulating the path of the nipper jaws relatively to the needles, instead of following the arc of a circle centered at -l, it is possible to obtain deeper penetration of the tuft by the needles, and especially by the leading rows of needles, and so cause them to do a larger share of the work of combing out the tuft,

thereby relieving the following and weaker needles and so reducing the breakage of the latter, and at the same time yielding a bet tor product. lvioreover, not only is an earlier and deeper penetration of the needles effected, but just as complete penetration of the needles will be obtained when using a thick lap as when using a thin one, thus increasing the production of the machine by enabling it to use a heavier lap of cotton. It is also possible to govern the distance be tween the nipper jaws and any of the rows of cylinder needles so as to obtain deeper penetration of some of the rows than of others. The use of a yielding lower jaw or cushion plate in conjunction with the positively controlled upper jaw allows the hiwer jaw to accommodate itself to a lap of any desired thickness, and also to follow the positire movements of the upper jaw.

ll ith this invention the nipper while closed and moving through. its operative stroke over the comb c 'lindcr, is guided i a prodeternlined path by means other than the nipper reciprocating means, which means as herein exemplified consists of the swinging frame or arms 3, and consequently the nipper may follow a path other than the arc of a circle centered at 4:, as contrasted with the machines heretofore made, in which the path of the nipper was determined by the arc of circle centered at the pivot of the nippercarrying arms or frame corresponding to the arms 3. Thus it is possible to govern the time of the deepest penetration of the needles, and also the distance of the closed nipper from the needles at all points in its path, independently of the path of the reciprocating nipper carrying frame. Both jaws of the nipper are movable on the nipper frame so as to be able to follow such predetermined inde pendent path, and the cam surface 22, or equivalent means, for controlling the path of the nipper, preferably performs its guiding function by positively controlling the upper nipper jaw, while the lower nipper jaw is yieldingly pressed against the upper jaw and so follows the path defined by the upper aw.

I claim:

1. In a combing machine of the character described, a comb-cylinder, upper and lower nipper jaws, means to reciprocate the nipper aws relatively to the comb-cylinder, a nipper jaw guideway positively predetermining a fixed path for the upper jaw, and means permitting movement of the lower jaw with respect to the path of reciprocation for the upper aw so fixed.

2. In a combing machine of the character described, a comb-cylinder, a nipper frame and means for imparting thereto a reciproeating motion, upper and lower nipper jaws both movably mounted on said nipper frame, fixed means to move the upper aw with respect to the frame to determine a fixed path therefor during the reciprocations of said frame, and means permitting the lower jaw to move with respect to the upper jaw.

In a combing machine of the character described, a comb-cylinder, a nipper frame pivoted to swing relatively to said combcylinder, means to reciprocate said frame, upper and lower nipper jaws both movably mounted on said frai'ne, fixed means to guide the upper nipper jaw in a predetermined path other than the arc of a circle centered -at the pivot of said frame, said lower jaw being yieldingly mounted to accommodate a variable thickness of sliver.

i i. In combing machine of the character described, a comb-cylinder, a nipper frame and means for imparting thereto a reciprocating motion, nipper jaws carried by said frame COHlDl'lSlll an 11) )er ni )er aw and a lower nipper jaw both movably mounted on said frame, a nipper guide positively con trolling the path of movement of the upper nipper jaw, and means yieldingly urging the lower nipper aw toward the upper jaw.

In a combing machine of the character described, a comb-cylinder, a nipper frame pivoted to swing relatively to said combcylinder, means to reciprocate said frame, nipper jaws carried by said frame comprising an upper nipper jaw movably mounted on said frame and a lower nipper aw yieldingly urged toward said upper jaw, and means positively to guide the upper nipper jaw in a predetermined path,

6. In a combing machine of the character described, a comb-cylinder, a nipper frame and means for imparting thereto a reciprocating motion, nipper jaws carried by said frame comprising an upper nipper jaw and a lower nipper jaw both movably mounted on said frame, a fixed cam guideway and a cam follower on said upper jaw adapted positively to guide the upper nipper jaw in a predetermined path, and means yieldingly to urge said lower jaw toward the up per jaw. v r

In a combing machine of the character described, acomb-cylinder, a nipper frame pivoted to swing relatively to said combcylinder, means to reciprocate said frame, an upper nipper jaw, a pair of arms to which said upper nipper jaw is secured pivoted on said frame and having a cam follower, a lower nipper jaw pivoted on said frame, means yieldinv urging the lower jaw toward the upper jaw, and a cam on which said cam follower runs adapted to control the path of the nipper jaws while in closed position. l

S. In a combing machine of the character described, a comb-cylinder, a nipper frame pivoted to swing relatively to said combcylinder, means to reeiprocz e said frame, an upper nipper jaw, a pair ofarms to which said upper nipper aw is secured pivoted on said frame and havinga cam follower, a lower nipper jaw pivoted on said frame, means yieldingly urging the lower jaw toward theupper jaw, and a cam on which said cam follower runs adapted to control the path of the nipper jaws while in closed position, asecond camadapted to engage said cam follower and open the upper nipper aw, and means to limit the upward movement of the lower nipper jaw when the upper nipper aw 1s withdrawn.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 79th day of April 1915.

ARCHIBALD S. FULLER.

Witnesses ROBERT CUSHMAN, RICHARD W. HALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

